Corrective measures
by romansilence
Summary: Olivia almost throws a case andhas to be punished,first byCaptain Cragen,then by her lover Alex.


Disclaimer: The characters and background story of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" do not belong to me, unfortunately. No copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be made.

A/N: This is an AU (alternate universe) story situated in a world in which same-sex relationships are completely normal, BDSM and D/s are accepted life styles and corporeal punishment in the workplace is part of every day life, especially in institutions like the military and law enforcement. It's basically the same AU as the one I described in my Stargate: SG-1 story "Penance" (recently posted at ( s/7192303/1/Penance).

**Corrective Measures**

by

romansilence

Detective First Class Olivia Benson stood facing the corner in Captain Cragen's office. She was alone in the room but she knew better than to slouch or move. She was standing ramrod straight with her hands on her head, her pants and panties pulled down to her knees. She was in for a sound thrashing and she couldn't even console herself with the thought that she didn't deserve the punishment. She did, amply. She had lost her temper with a suspect and thus jeopardised their case. If not for Fin and Munch having tricked the man into a confession…

No, she deserved whatever she had coming but that didn't make it any easier. In all her years as a police officer she had only had to face 'corrective measures' twice before, once as a rookie and once during her first few months with the Special Victims Unit when her sympathies for the women who had killed their rapist had stood in the way of her duties. She had not been able to sit without squirming for almost a week, and then he had cut her some slack knowing her history. This time would be much different; she was no naïve newcomer anymore and was expected to perform at a much higher level. The Captain would make her pay and she was afraid.

She knew how to take a punishment; Alex had taught her that in the two years they now were living together. But with Alex she always knew what to expect and she knew that everything her beloved did she did out of love, even when her bra rubbed her welted breasts for days after being hit with a riding crop. Alex loved her and cared for her and it was alright to show weakness in her arms, afterwards. Captain Cragen also cared for her, Olivia knew that, but 'corrective measures' were part of his duties, and a part he took very seriously. Olivia was afraid that she would not be able to take his discipline without embarrassing herself, and she so wanted her captain and her lover to be proud of her.

The sound of the door being opened made her heart beat faster. She heard footsteps coming towards her, but Captain Cragen didn't say anything, almost as if she was not standing there, her buttocks bared like a naughty schoolgirl. He took a seat behind his desk and she heard his fingers tapping the keyboard. His stroke was hard and fast, a staccato rhythm that would soon be duplicated on her nether cheeks. She instinctively clenched her muscles and almost jumped out of her skin when her superior called her name.

"Benson, front and centre."

Olivia hurried to get in front of his desk, with her trousers down she could not do much more than shuffle and she also didn't dare to look her captain in the eyes. Her heart began to beat faster in fear and anticipation.

"Look at me, Detective."

Earlier his face had shown anger, fury even but now his expression was carefully neutral. She felt ashamed but she also knew that she didn't deserve any better.

"Is there something you want to say, Detective Benson?"

"Yes Sir."

"I'm listening."

"I'm sorry that I endangered the case with my actions. I'm sorry that I lost my temper. I humbly submit to any corrective measures you deem necessary, Sir."

"Sign this."

He pushed a piece of paper towards her. It was a short report about the incident in the interrogation room and also detailed that she would face thirty minutes of corrective measures in five, fifteen and ten minute increments. She signed it without hesitation. She knew it would go in her personal file, but after her earlier outburst she didn't deserve any better.

"Bend over the desk. You may brace yourself by grabbing the opposite edge."

"Thank you, Sir."

She did as ordered and spread her legs as far as the trousers allowed before he had to order it. It put her sex on display but humiliation was part of the punishment. Olivia closed her eyes and listened when Cragen walked over to the cabinet in the other corner of his office and fetched a cane.

"It will hurt less if you try to relax, Olivia. Your five minutes under the cane start now."

Her fingers clenched around the edge of the tabletop at the searing pain of the first stroke. She gasped and wanted nothing more than to jump up and protect herself, but she knew better. Alex had taught her better. The second stroke seemed to hit the exact same spot and she cried out. The tears she had felt prickling in her eyes began to fall with the third, hard stroke. Cragen allowed just enough time between strokes to let the pain flare up and he didn't hold back. Olivia lost count after the twelfth stroke. She desperately tried to distance herself from the burning pain but with every stroke it was like a mantra in her head, repeating itself, "You deserve this. You deserve this. You deserve this."

And suddenly it was over. She heard him put the cane back on its hook and tried to calm down and get at least some self-control back before the next part of her punishment, to no avail. Her heart beat practically in her throat when she heard him unbuckle his belt and pull it out of its loops. Elliot who found himself regularly bent over Cragen's desk had told her that the captain only used his own belt when he was really angry and disappointed.

"Your fifteen minutes under the belt start now, Detective."

This time the strokes fell fast and on Olivia's already extremely sensitized skin every single one of the lashes felt as hard and burning as a cane stroke. Tears were running down her face and fell on the hard surface of the desk. She tried to stop them, she didn't want to appear weak, but when he started to talk she started to cry even harder.

He told her how disappointed he was that she had not shown more self-control and that he expected better from one of his most level headed detectives. He said that she deserved an even harder punishment for botching the case and that she could call herself lucky that Fin and Munch not only had found enough hard evidence to convict the child molester but had also gotten him to confess. He said that it would have been her fault if that scumbag would have gotten back on the street to rape another boy. He said that she had been irresponsible and that he would keep a close eye on her from now on. He said that he had been much too lenient with her and that being his favourite from now on would mean that he expected her to work even harder.

Olivia's tears formed a small lake on the tabletop and between sobs she repeated again and again that she was sorry and would do better in the future. She was almost frantic in her need to apologise and so it took her a while to become aware that the beating had stopped.

"Rise, Olivia. The second part of your punishment is over. Return to the corner, you get a break for a few minutes."

She did as ordered and put her hands back on her head without prompting. His words had made the whole 'corrective measure' personal. She not only had endangered a case, she had disappointed the one man who was as close to a father as she ever had. Her actions had hurt him, personally, and she agreed that she deserved a much harder punishment than the one she was receiving now. To show her contrition she stayed perfectly still in her corner, even though her buttocks and thighs were burning and she wanted nothing more than to rub the skin.

To make it up to her captain and atone for her transgression she would have stayed in that corner the whole day, but half an hour later he called her back to the desk.

"So far you have taken your punishment well, Olivia, much better than the last time. You have not kicked out, not broken position and have not begged to be spared. Fetch the paddle for the last part of your punishment." She obeyed quickly.

The cabinet held three wooden paddles and she chose the one with the five holes. She knew it would hurt more than a normal paddle and that was exactly what she deserved. He accepted the instrument of discipline with a thoughtful expression but didn't object to her choice.

"Do you want to bend over the desk or go over my lap?" He asked.

"Your lap, please, Sir," she answered softly.

Cragen nodded and walked around the desk to take a seat in one of the visitor chairs. Olivia quickly draped herself over his legs and put her hands on the floor to steady herself.

"Your ten minutes of paddling start now."

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the swishing sound of the paddle. The pain in her tortured backside that had become almost bearable during her corner time was back in all its blazing glory with the first strike. She shrieked, but she didn't try to reach back and she didn't kick. She was determined to take the rest of her just punishment with as much dignity as possible. She didn't fool herself to think that she would be able to get through those last ten minutes without more tears but she wanted to show her captain that she was really sorry by staying as still as possible.

And then it was really over. Cragen ordered her to return to the corner and stay there for at least ten more minutes, "You did well, Olivia. Get dressed when you have calmed down and take the rest of the day off. I want you to be well rested for your mandatory week of desk duty."

"Yes, Sir, thank you for punishing me," Olivia said and returned to the corner, hands on her head.

She heard the captain leave and close the door behind him. Soon a timer went off indicating that her corner time was over but Olivia didn't move. She was not ready yet. She waited until the tears on her face had dried and gingerly pulled up her panties and slacks. The soft material felt scratchy on her bruised, oversensitive skin, and she welcomed the feeling because, after all she had gotten off lightly, she knew.

-x-x-x-

Olivia went home to the apartment she shared with Alex and quickly stepped out of her shoes, pants and undergarments. She looked at herself in the bedroom mirror and studied the red and purple skin, the cane marks still visible as raised welts and the occasional drop of blood. She would feel that punishment a lot longer than a week, but that was alright. She deserved it for her lack of self-control.

It was early afternoon, Alex would not be home for at least three or four hours. So, Olivia decided to take a short nap before surprising her lover with a home cooked meal. She didn't bother taking off her shirt and bra and stretched out on the bed. She tried to will the pain away and fell asleep.

When she woke up it was getting dark outside. Her buttocks and thighs had settled down to a dull throbbing but she knew that it would not last. The moment she moved it would flare up and be just as fiery as right after the spanking. Alex' punishments sometimes could be a lot harder to take than official 'corrective measures'. Olivia sighed and rolled to the side to prepare to get up. She gasped at the sharp flare that small movement sent to her brain, and for a moment she imagined how Alex' soft hands would soothingly glide over her tortured flesh and tell her that she was proud of her and that she had taken her punishment well. Olivia's hands crept down the front of her shirt and found her shaven pelvis. Thinking of Alex had made her wet and she began to stroke her labia and press down on her clitoris, all the time imagining that it were Alex' hands touching her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Alex' voice was stern and cold and Olivia shot up from the bed and stumbled over her discarded slacks. She looked at Alex, disapproval clearly visible on her face. Olivia sank to her knees and focused on the tip of Alex' heels. She didn't dare to speak.

"Captain Cragen called me earlier to tell me about your punishment and how exemplary you saw it through. I left work early to give you a little well deserved T L C, and what do I find? I find you pleasuring yourself without permission. I find you lying in bed half clothed. Tell me, have you forgotten all of the basic rules you consented to honour in our home?"

"No, Alex. I… I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"No, you didn't and believe me you will be sorry, very sorry. Strip, put your clothes in the hamper and go kneel in the corner. I have to calm down before I decide on your punishment," Alex said and left their bedroom after a detour to their walk-in closet.

Olivia was on autopilot when she followed her lover's instructions, wincing with every step. She knelt in her usual corner, her knees spread, her ankles crossed and her hands once again on top of her head, but this time with her palms up, facing the ceiling. She tried not to think, not to speculate how Alex would punish her transgressions. She tried to focus on her breathing and after what seemed like an eternity she calmed down enough to put herself in Alex' place.

The basic rules were something they had agreed on when she had moved in with her beloved, a set of rituals and orders designed to assure the smooth running of their relationship ranging from cleaning and shopping schedules to much more intimate things. They mostly had become such a part of their daily life that they no longer gave them any conscious thought, and today she had disobeyed at least three of them. She was supposed to be naked in bed, except for her cuffs and collar, of course. She was supposed to care for her clothes and not simply let them drop to the floor. Alex had every right to be angry and disappointed.

Olivia felt tears running down her cheeks and she did nothing to stop them. In one day she had managed to disappoint the most important man in her life, but also the most important woman. She began to tremble and hated herself for having been so thoughtless.

That's how Alex found her half an hour later, crying and mumbling that she was sorry. Her heart broke for her beautiful, distressed lover. Usually Olivia was rather stoic while waiting to be punished, and what Don had told her about her outburst in the interrogation room had also been extremely uncharacteristic. Alex decided that she would get to the bottom of Olivia's strange behaviour.

Alex walked over to the edge of the bed and ordered quietly, "Stand up and come into my arms, baby."

Olivia obeyed and found herself pulled into a comforting embrace that only made her cry harder. Alex had changed into a T-shirt and sweat-pants and allowed her lover to cry herself out.

Finally Olivia raised her head and made eye-contact with Alex," I'm sorry, Alex. Please punish me for disobeying. I didn't mean to disregard our rules. It just happened. Please punish me, train me, help me to become more obedient and less selfish. Please, don't stop loving me."

Alex put a hand on Olivia's cheek and sealed her lips with a kiss, "I will never stop loving you, my sweet Olivia. You're far too precious to me, even if you're naughty and disobey or if you lose your temper. Don was very proud that you took your punishment so well. He said that you were repentant and graceful."

"I deserved the punishment and I wanted you to be proud of me," Olivia answered.

"I'm always proud of you, my love, even when I'm angry and disappointed. What did you think about when you pleasured yourself?"

"I was thinking about you, Alex. I imagined how your hands would caress my bruised and welted backside and that you would order me to masturbate while you stroked me slowly and that we would make love and that you would allow me to be on top while riding one of our cocks and that you would squeeze my buttocks and make me come."

"That's quite the imagination, my sweet. You know that it's rather unlikely that something like this will happen tonight, right?"

Olivia nodded dejectedly.

"Why didn't you undress completely before lying on the bed?"

"I don't know, Alex. My buttocks and thighs hurt so much from the 'corrective measure' and still I felt that I had gotten off lightly after disappointing the captain so much. I guess I just was not thinking," Olivia answered softly.

"You were duly punished for losing your temper, Livvy. There is no need for you to still feel guilty. Don forgave you and your burning backside will keep you in line for quite some time. Don't be too hard on yourself. That's my job."

"I'll try, Alex. Please, punish me."

"I will, my sweet, but not right now. Right now, I want you to tell me why you lost your temper in the interrogation room. How did it start?"

"We had an eye-witness who identified our suspect in a photo line-up. He had some priors for sexual harassment and stalking. We went to his work place to ask for an alibi but he ran. We brought him in and let him stew while Munch and Fin executed the search warrant you got for his apartment. I did some paperwork. Then Captain Cragen ordered us to start with the questioning. We went into interrogation room one and he stared at us with this arrogant smirk. Elliot was playing the buddy routine and I was giving the bad cop. He quickly started to contradict himself when we confronted him with the fact that his alibi had not held up. His smirk got even wider and I just snapped."

"Describe him, Livvy."

"Tall, taller than Elliot, broad shoulders and lots of muscles, an angular face with a strong chin, grey-green eyes, big hands, very big hands," Olivia's voice had changed. Gone was the strong, independent detective, gone the sometimes cheeky, sometimes obedient submissive woman. Describing their perp's hands and eyes she sounded like a frightened child.

And now Alex knew why Olivia had lost her temper. Something about that man had triggered a repressed memory, probably dating back to her childhood. It had happened a few times since they had moved in together but usually Olivia was able to hold it together until she could go off-duty. The first time, Alex had found Olivia in the bathtub, curled in a ball, icy water spraying down on her from the showerhead. It had taken half of the night to get Olivia to calm down and tell her what had been wrong. Olivia usually felt those flashbacks coming and was able to distance herself but this time, Alex thought, the trigger must have been too strong.

"Tell me about his hands, Livvy."

"They were big, bigger than Elliot's, calloused. He could have broken his victims' necks with one hand. There was a scar on the back of his left hand, a badly healed, jagged cut."

Olivia fell silent and her eyes widened with sudden insight. She looked up and found Alex' loving, understanding eyes, "Would you hold me on the couch, please?"

Alex knew that Olivia was only stalling but she indulged her beloved, her earlier anger evaporated at the sight of Olivia's suffering. She led her to the living room, pulled her next to her on the couch and covered them both with the blanket they kept on the back of the couch. Olivia snuggled up to her as if she wanted to crawl inside of her, needing the comfort and protection from the memories that had suddenly flooded her mind.

"That scar… it looked like something I did to one of the men my mother brought home from her drunken binges. I was about seven or eight, I guess. I had already learned to make myself as invisible as possible…"

Olivia fell silent. Alex knew from experience that she would need a bit of prompting. Olivia was a proud woman and loathed to appear weak or helpless even to those who loved her and would not respect her any less for it. So, Alex pulled her even closer and let one hand slide down Olivia's well punished behind.

"I had to go to school. I had dressed myself and I had my books. I just wanted some milk before I left. I was drinking quickly but he came in before I was finished. He was naked and got hard when he saw me, though at the time I didn't really know what that meant. He said that he had been short-changed and that my mother had kept her real treasure from him. He came at me. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. He pressed his mouth on my lips and forced his tongue inside. I bit him. He roared and backhanded me. I spit blood and two of my milk teeth. He came at me again, both hands outstretched. I still had my milk mug. I hit him as hard as I could. The mug shattered against the back of his hand. I hit him again with not much more than the handle still in my hand. He cried out and there was blood, so much blood. For a moment he just stood there, looking at me and then at his hand and then back at me. I scrambled back as far as I could. He followed me and said that I would regret what I had done."

Olivia's body slowly relaxed which made Alex reasonably sure that the worst had been told. She still kept her cold hand on the warm flesh of Olivia's buttocks.

"I was so afraid, I barely dared to breathe but then my mother hit him from behind with a frying pan and shouted at him to leave me alone. He left cursing. Mom let me stay home that day, and we went to the park, and for more than two months after that she didn't even touch a glass of wine."

"I love you, Olivia Benson."

Alex gave Olivia a chaste kiss.

"I love you, Alexandra Cabot. Thank you that I can be weak with you, councillor."

"You, Detective Benson, are not weak. You can never be weak."

"I didn't feel particularly strong when Don put me over his knees earlier."

"And yet you didn't kick out. You didn't try to cover your backside and you didn't beg for mercy and leniency, my sweet. You even chose a paddle that was harder on you than the law demanded. No, Livvy, you were not weak, not during your punishment and not when you fought against a man three times your size when you were just a kid."

They stayed on the couch for a few more minutes, cuddling, with Alex' hand still resting on Olivia's buttocks.

"You know, Liv, sometimes I really wish that I would have known your mother. What she did to you makes me so angry."

"She had changed when you started to work with us at the one-six, Alex. When Don told me about her death I thought that she had fallen down the subway stairs because she was drunk, but the autopsy report said that she had been sober. She would have liked you very much, after she got over the shock that her daughter had hooked up with someone from an Ivy League School."

Olivia's wide grin indicated that she would be alright. The silence between them now was comfortable, familiar, so much so that Alex almost would have fallen asleep, had there not been Olivia's recent transgressions that had to be addressed and the fantasy she had mentioned about riding Alex' phallus also had sounded very tempting, though she would probably not act on it. Olivia needed discipline, not a reward, and Olivia seemed to feel that way as well.

"What will be my punishment, Alex?"

"I don't have decided yet. How would you like to be punished?"

Olivia pushed her behind against Alex' hand and raised her head to hold Alex' carefully neutral gaze.

"I disobeyed, and usually I get to feel the cane for disobedience. Six to twelve strokes, depending on the infraction. So, eighteen to thirty-six strokes. I doubt that I could take that much at the moment without being incapacitated tomorrow. I'm sorry, Alex."

Alex kissed Olivia's forehead but did not say anything.

"If you'd consent to break the punishment down in small portions it still could work, starting with about three strokes and adding to it until the full tally is reached."

"I recognise that there are extenuating circumstances, Livvy, and from what I've seen your buttocks are not up to much more than a firm hand spanking. I'll come up with something, for now, I'm hungry. I'll order some take-out, and I want you to get pen and paper from the study, sit on one of the kitchen chairs and write a formal letter of thanks to Captain Cragen for having punished you."

Olivia's eyes widened a bit but she obeyed. She winced when her tortured skin made contact with the hardwood chair. For a few minutes she just stared at the blank sheet with Alex' and her letterhead, a gift from Alex' mother Olivia had rarely an opportunity to use. She held the fountain pen in her hand, resisting the urge to chew on its end. It was an old Waterman that had once belonged to Alex' father and Alex used it mostly to deal with the obligations as heir to the Cabot fortune they could not escape.

When Olivia finally put pen to paper there was no more hesitation. She filled two pages and put them in an envelope but didn't seal it. Alex might want to read it first. She walked over to the couch where Alex had her nose in a file and handed her the letter.

"It's between you and Don, Olivia. Get dressed for dinner; boy shorts, tank top, thick socks, and your collar."

"Yes Alex."

A heady aroma of spices wafted through their home while they ate the Indian meal Alex had ordered. They talked about their newest case and the perp who had provoked Olivia's outburst and would have his arraignment early the next morning. Alex prepped Olivia for her testimony in another case that was scheduled for early in the afternoon. Olivia did the dishes while Alex went to the study to reply to the two invitations that had come in today, one to a Charity Dinner, one to a vernissage. The gallery opening was for the latest works of a sculptor friend from Alex' college days and she didn't want to miss that for the world. The Charity Dinner, however was something she thought she could skip. So, she decided to consult with her mother and called her at the Hamptons.

When she returned to the living room she found Olivia lying on her front on the couch, reading. She had pushed the shorts down to her knees revealing her red and purple behind and thighs. Alex knelt down and studied the damage. A few of the cane marks were still visible even under the mass of welts from the belt and the blisters created by the paddle with the holes. Her first impression had been right, Olivia would not be up for another sound spanking any time soon.

For a moment she considered letting Olivia's earlier infraction go without punishment, just this once, but Olivia seemed to read her mind, "Please, don't , Alex. I'm yours, and I disobeyed, and I feel guilty about breaking our rules. Please, punish me to make the guilt go away."

"Alright, my sweet. You get your punishment and we will start with some corner time. Don't forget to put on your cuffs before you kneel down."

Olivia scrambled to obey and Alex put the book on the side table, a hardback copy of Melissa Good's "Tropical Storm". Olivia must have read that novel at least half a dozen times, and though Alex liked the romance between Dar and Kerry she frankly did not see the fascination of reading it more than once. Lately, however, Olivia seemed to hurry to finish it, only to start again the next day.

-x-x-x-

Olivia's kneeling form in the corner was calm. She seemed almost relaxed, not at all like the almost hysterical, crying mess she had been earlier.

"Come here and kneel," Alex ordered after she had taken a seat in front of their vanity.

Olivia obeyed and took her position with spread knees, her hands clasped behind her back and gaze lowered to the floor, a perfect posture.

"Olivia, do you agree that you have committed two minor and one serious infraction of our basic rules by wearing clothes to bed, letting your clothes and shoes lie around on the floor and masturbating without permission?"

"Yes, Alex, I agree. Please punish me for my transgressions."

"To atone for the two minor infractions you will receive two hand spankings a day for the next three days, starting tomorrow."

"Thank you, Alex."

"For masturbating without permission, and you can really call yourself lucky that you had not brought yourself to completion by the time I caught you, or it would have been a major and not just a serious infraction. For masturbating you will feel the flogger on your pussy and the insides of your thighs, about two dozen strokes should be enough. I want you to feel it for a couple of days. Please, take the appropriate position on the bed."

Alex went over to their walk-in closet where they also kept their toys and other paraphernalia to select a flogger while Olivia pulled the comforter down, piled their pillows in the middle of the bed and lay down. She knew exactly what Alex expected from her. Olivia spread her arms over her head, pulled her knees up and to the side with her aching buttocks resting on the pillows to offer Alex a better angle and make herself more vulnerable to the sharp kiss of the multi pronged whip.

Olivia knew that Alex would never really harm her. Yes, it would hurt for a while, just as it should. After all, the no masturbation without permission rule had been her idea. She had wanted to prove to her beloved that she was truly and utterly hers, in every way. It was one of the few transgressions for which Alex had never accepted extenuating circumstances since her permission was not more than a phone call away and she had only withheld it once. No, Alex would make sure that she felt that punishment at least as long as the official 'corrective measures'. So, Olivia was reasonably sure that Alex would not choose the suede flogger. They only ever used it in play sessions. The horsehair flogger with its hundreds of stingy strands was also usually only used for play and had brought her to orgasm more than once.

Olivia's eyes widened slightly and she felt a familiar mixture of relief and trepidation, relief that Alex really would not go easy on her and trepidation that she would not be able to see the punishment through and use her safeword. That had yet to happen but in Olivia's mind it was a very real danger. To her it meant that she was not really sorry and repentant, that she didn't respect Alex' authority, and most of all in her eyes it meant that she was weak. She didn't want to be weak…

Alex sat on the edge of the bed and caressed the insides of Olivia's thighs, "Will you be a good girl for me or will I have to restrain you, Livvy?"

Olivia's eyes were riveted on the black strands of the rubber flogger Alex had chosen. It was a relatively new item in their collection and Olivia knew that it stung and burned very much. Alex waited patiently for her answer and Olivia knew that her beloved would not be angry or disappointed if she asked to be restrained, but she wanted Alex to be proud of her, always, but especially if she had to be punished.

"I'll behave, Alex. I'll hold as still as I can. Thank you for disciplining me."

"It's my honour and my duty, my sweet. You're welcome, and you can thank me properly when we're done. You know, news travel fast in this town and beyond. My mother already knew about the 'corrective measures' when I called her earlier to ask about one of the invitations we received. By the way, she reminded me that we still have to buy some new dresses for the Police Charity Ball in two weeks."

Olivia had apparently heard only half of her discourse, "Oh gods, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. The 'corrective measures' make you look bad, Please tell me what to do to get you out of trouble. Let me call your mother and tell her that it's all my fault and that I'll take any additional punishment she finds necessary."

"Calm down, Liv. Everything is fine. I'm not in any kind of trouble. The 'corrective measures' have nothing to do with our private life. Now, should you decide to misbehave when we're at the Hamptons next weekend, that would be different because in private you are my responsibility. No, my sweet, my mother was rather smug about it and thinks that the 'corrective measures' will look good on your record."

"How? It's a punishment, a black mark I could live without."

"There's always two sides to a coin, Livvy. You know that the Commissioner keeps tabs on promising officers, right?"

Olivia nodded but had a hard time to stay focused on Alex' words while her hands were stroking her thighs and fondling her centre. It made her crazy with longing but there was no chance in hell that Alex would let her come any time soon.

"The Commissioner earned himself quite a few punishments for having lost his temper with a suspect, and he thinks that only someone who does that has enough passion and inner fire for the job and that only those people are worthy to rise through the ranks. He knows that your passion is for justice and now he knows that you don't always play by the book. It's a good thing, Liv. And just to avoid misunderstandings: the Commissioner wants passionate officers, not men and women who only act on their instincts and their hearts. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alex, I understand. One 'corrective measure' and there is no harm done, but do not turn into Elliot."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Alex said with a bright smile and gave Olivia a quick kiss. "So, my sweet, are you ready for your punishment?"

"I'd rather do something else, Alex, but yes, I'm ready."

"Alright, Liv. I want you to count, and don't forget that you're not allowed to come."

The first three strokes came in quick succession, left thigh, right thigh, pussy, and the strokes were no love-pads. They were meant to hurt and Olivia cried out every time. She tried not to but the pain needed some outlet and she was determined not to move. When the flogger hit her clitoris and labia for the second time she balled her hands into fists hard enough to feel her blunt fingernails digging into her palms. She desperately needed Alex to be proud of her.

Alex saw it, put the flogger aside, bent over and kissed her gently, "You're doing fine, Livvy."

Olivia immediately relaxed, relieved that she had not done anything to disappoint Alex. She tried to smile up at her beloved but Alex was already on the way back to their closet. For a moment she feared that Alex would now shackle her, instead the blonde returned with the ankle weights Olivia wore when jogging. She ordered her to open her fists and fastened them around the palm and back of her hands.

"Thank you, Alex," Olivia whispered.

"You're very welcome, my sweet."

Stroke number nine, once again aimed at her centre, with most of the black strands hitting her most sensitive parts finally let Olivia burst out in tears, but she held her position by sheer willpower, squeezing her eyes shut. If she had kept them open she might have seen the tears glistening in the corners of Alex' eyes. Alex hated having to hurt her beloved this way, but she also knew that it had to be done.

Alex' anger had long since faded and if it had been only up to her she would have ended the punishment right then, but she knew that the masturbating rule was extremely important to Olivia. More than anything else it was her ultimate sign of submission. When they had come up with their basic rules Olivia had been almost desperately insistent that the only kind of sexual pleasure she would be allowed was to come from Alex and Alex alone. Olivia had also been the one to come up with the specifics of this particular rule. It meant that she not only had to have Alex' explicit permission to have an orgasm, she also had to ask for permission to touch herself in any sexual way, something she often did to escape the pressure of the cases SVU was dealing with on a daily basis. She had a blanket permission when Alex was in court and thus not reachable but at other times she had to ask if it would be alright to caress her breasts and touch her clit while resting alone in the crib – and today Olivia had not asked. So, as much as Alex wanted to show her beloved some leniency, she just could not.

Alex bit her lower lip when Olivia's over the sobs and cries barely audible voice counted stroke eighteen. She knew that the first impact of the rubber strands was intense but that it quickly would settle down to a low grade burning. She knew because she would never use something on Olivia she had not have tried on herself first. So, she knew that the marks of the thirty thin strands would be gone in less than twenty-four hours but that the skin would stay extremely touch sensitive for two more days after that.

For the last six strokes Alex took pity on Olivia's swollen nether lips and only hit her inner thighs which ended up as crimson red as the back of her thighs and her buttocks. Her strokes were still as hard but Olivia visibly regained her composure.

When finally the last stroke had been counted Alex dropped the flogger and pulled her crying beloved in her arms, eliciting a yelp when her still hurting behind slipped from the pillows and hit the mattress.

"Thank you, Alex," she finally whispered. "Thank you for being strong enough not to go too easy on me. I love you, Alexandra Jean Cabot."

"And I love you, Olivia Benson. I'm very proud of you. Two punishments in a day, two hard punishments, and you did very well with both of them."

"Thank you, Alex. I'm sorry that you had to do that. I know you don't enjoy punishing me."

"No, I don't, but Livvy, as much as you need to be punished if you do something wrong as much I need to make you pay. Now, come, my sweet, let's take a shower, and I'll put some aloe on you."

"I'd love to take a shower with you, Alex. I'd love even more to serve you in the shower. Please Alex, let me do something for you for a change," Olivia pleaded.

"We'll see, my sweet."

-x-x-x-

Olivia woke up cradled in Alex' arms. It was one of her favourite ways to wake up, right next to waking up cradling Alex. She felt comforted and safe and loved. Alex' breast was right in front of her nose and she stretched to kiss its side. The pain in her buttocks flared up and that in turn woke up the burn on her inner thighs and the sting on her centre. She had to stifle a gasp but Alex seemed to sense her pain and pulled her closer. Olivia settled down again and closed her eyes. She savoured the faint smell of their combined arousal still lingering in the air and her mind wandered back to the rest of their recent night activities.

Walking over to the bathroom had hurt, every step, though she had tried to keep her legs apart without appearing to walk bow-legged. Climbing into the tub that doubled as a shower stall had hurt, feeling the hot water hitting her bruised butt had hurt, feeling Alex' hands on her skin, washing Alex' body, letting her hands glide over Alex' perfect, smooth, silky skin had been bliss. Getting down on her knees to serve her beloved had hurt the bruised muscles in her behind and her thighs, bringing her to orgasm had been the highlight of her day. Alex was always so beautiful when she climaxed, so perfect.

And then Alex had led her back to their bedroom and put some moistening crème on her backside. She had ordered her to turn around and soothed her inner thighs and centre with the aloe balm. Her pussy lips were swollen from the punishment, too swollen to be penetrated even with a single finger without causing more pain than pleasure. Alex instead had laved some attention on Olivia's nipples and Olivia had greeted the attention by bucking her hips. A feather light touch on her equally swollen clit and a whispered command was all it took for Olivia to trigger her own orgasm.

She was so grateful that Alex had given her such a gift, especially since she had expected to be denied for the foreseeable future. Alex could be a hard taskmaster but she also was generous to a fault.

Olivia's inner clock told her that it soon would be time to get up, but as usual after a hard punishment she dreaded leaving the sanctuary of their bed. She dreaded having to go to work. She wanted nothing more than to stay securely in her beloved's arms and shut out the world.

A few minutes later their alarm clock went off and she felt Alex putting a soft kiss on the crown of her head.

"Good morning, Alex," she said softly.

"Good morning, Livvy. It's time to get up."

"Do we really have to?"

"Of course we do, Liv. It's an ordinary work day."

Olivia sighed and began to untangle herself from Alex' longer limbs. She retrieved jogging gear for both of them. And though she really loved their morning runs, today the thought of having to run for an hour strait did not appeal to her, for obvious reasons. Getting up and walking a few steps had been painful enough, but running their usual circuit… she didn't even want to think about it.

Still, they got ready and started on their usual trail. Every step sent a new wave of pain through her whole body but she tried to keep up with Alex' longer legs. About a quarter mile into their run she became aware that Alex was not running as fast as usual. And a few hundred yards later they veered to another trail that would cut their usual distance in half. Olivia was touched by Alex' thoughtfulness and thanked her with a passionate kiss as soon as the apartment door had closed behind them.

Alex returned the kiss with equal passion but stopped her when Olivia wanted to go further, "No, baby, not now. You'll get your chance to seduce me tonight, for now I want you to prepare some coffee while I take a shower. And before it's your turn to get dressed I'll put you over my knees and give you the first of the six spankings you have coming for your minor transgressions yesterday."

And so, by the time Olivia arrived at the one-six, the pain in her thighs had settled down to the point of almost being ignorable but her buttocks were burning just as much as they had right after her initial punishment. Alex, she thought with admiration, had done a very thorough job. The individual smacks had not been particularly hard but they still had made Olivia cry and apologise, and she really was not looking forward to the next session Alex had planned for lunchtime or right after the end of her shift.

Her office chair had never felt this hard, not even after an intense play session or a hard punishment from her beloved. It took Olivia almost an hour to finally focus on her work, and Elliot's snide remarks didn't help matters any. She silently vowed to make him pay the next time he ended up at the business end of Captain Cragen's cane or belt.

The captain had been out the better part of the morning, but half an hour after his return he called her into his office. Only her angry glare kept her partner who sometimes had all the maturity of a ten year old to make another dumb remark.

"Take a seat, Olivia."

"I'd rather keep standing, Captain."

"That was not an offer, Detective. Sit."

Olivia complied.

"I just read you letter, Olivia, and I want you to answer two questions. Why did you write it and why did you never tell me about those flashbacks?"

"Alex ordered me to write the letter but the moment I started I became aware that I also wanted to write it. And the flashbacks… I should have told you a long time ago. I should have told you the first time you had me bend over your desk. It's just…. I didn't want you to see me as weak. I was relatively new in the squad and I just had screwed up. I did not want to disappoint you more, but even then I wanted to tell you. I'm sorry, Captain."

"There's no need to apologise, Olivia. In your place I probably would have done the same. So, the next time you'll let me know. I'll…"

"Please, don't even say it. You should not cut me any slack, Captain, especially not now," Olivia said. "God knows I don't want to be subjected to another 'corrective measure' any time soon, but to get my promotion to sergeant there does not have to be even the shadow of a doubt that I really earned it."

"How does the studying go? The sergeant' exam is in less than three weeks."

"I'm hoping for the right questions, sir, but I'm hopefully positive that I'll pass. Alex would never forgive me if I failed."

"So, she has found out? I thought you wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh no, she has no idea, at least I hope so. I hide my textbooks behind the hardcover of one of my favourite novels. She probably thinks that I'm obsessed with it."

"So, how soon do I have to clean out my desk to make place for you?" Cragen asked playfully.

"Not for a long time if I have anything to say about it. I'm not ready to give up field work, and even if the exam goes well I'll still be only a sergeant, not a captain. I don't want to lead this squad any time soon. You know, I'm only doing this for Alex. New York County's up and coming Bureau Chief deserves to have more than a lowly detective at her side," Olivia said.

"A detective first grade, Olivia. It's basically the same pay grade as a sergeant."

"Not in the eyes of the constituency. Alex has a good shot at the big chair and I will do everything in my power to make that dream come true."

Olivia and Don both had not heard the side door opening and almost jumped out of their seats when they heard a new voice, "I have no doubt that you will ace the sergeant's examen, Olivia."

Olivia really did jump up and offered Selena Cabot her seat, "I'm honoured that you show such confidence in my abilities, Mrs. Cabot."

"Alex would not have chosen you as her mate and partner if you did not have what it takes to keep her occupied, intelligence is one the characteristics she would not do without. But let's get to the real reason I stopped by. Donald Cragen, I'm in need of some eye candy accompanying me to the annual Police Charity Dinner. You will not even have to clean up your tux, you can wear your dress uniform," Selena said with a smile.

Alex' mother saw the sudden smile crossing Olivia's face, "Oh no, young lady. You will not hide that gorgeous body of yours. You will wear attire worthy of a Cabot."

The only thing to say Olivia could think of was a crisp, "Yes ma'am."

"Didn't Alex mention that you have to make an appointment for new dresses?"

"She might have said something like that but I was a bit distracted at the time," Olivia answered with a slight blush.

Don distracted Mrs. Cabot by accepting her invitation and sent Olivia back to her desk, but not before Selena reminded her that Alex was expecting her for lunch in her office. The twinkle in her eyes told Olivia that she knew exactly what awaited her daughter-in-law at 1, Hogan Place, and Olivia had a hard time to swallow her trepidation and refocus on her work.

-x-x-x-

To be continued eventually.


End file.
